Uh oh! You’ve started to notice a tenderness in the back of your throat, a dull ache in your head and you’re feeling pretty lethargic…the dreaded upper respiratory infection has made an unwelcome appearance! Despite your best efforts to stay hydrated, wash your hands and taking elderberry syrup everyday you are worried that you are in for up to 10 days of yuck. You can’t sleep because of your congested runny nose, tickling cough and headache, and you want to try something nat

First published at www.thisisgrub.com Here are two seemingly unrelated problems: Problem 1: You want to support your body with immune boosting, gut-flora-balancing power of probiotics, but they are very expensive. Problem 2: It’s winter time and you want to nourish yourself with healthy local veggies, but you are running out of creative ways to prepare cabbage, kale, radishes, carrots, turnips and any number of starchy root veggies. You even learned how to make GRUB’s delici

One of my favorite plants for herbal skincare is the golden goddess calendula (Calendula officinalis) Not only does this little beauty bloom every month of the year if nurtured well, she self seeds and preparations made from her are safe for the whole family. I particularly enjoy using calendula for chapped lips, dry cuticles, scars, and burns, not to mention simply as massage oil. While she is good for everyday nurturing, she can also help soothe stubborn skin conditions inc